Harmonica



' July 26,1927.

W. B. YATES HARMONICA Filed Oct, 22, 1924 ----..-vA----n murali.; n

INVENTOR ffimw les,

ATTORNEYS Patented July 26,r 1927.

WILLIAM .BENJAMIN Yarns, ,o1-VENTURA GALIFORNIA.

' HARMONICA.

-Appllcatlonled Octobei` 22, 182,4. `Serial]Nof''flLZLlrB.V

means ter Centraline the ,volume and the pitch-ofthe music Yproduced the'u instrument;

UAQur-therobjeet of theinvention is theA l-ployi'sion fv a device of this character` where- 1n the means for controlling thevolume of music also servesas ahandleior supportingthe instrument inoperative position.

ilVith these and, other objects in view, as `will appear ,as the description proceeds,the invention` consists in the novel featuresof construction, combinations of elementsk and arrangements .offpartshereinafter to be fully `described and claimed.

Avfulland complete understanding ofthe invention maybe ,obtainedl from a considera- 1 tion of `the followingV l detailed description,

taken in connection c with y the l .accompanying drawingforming a part of the specification, it being understood that while the drawingv shows a practical form of the invention, the latter is not to be conlined to the showing thereof, but may be changed or modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as specifically pointed out and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts in the views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device as applied to a harmonica of conventional design,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and l Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view.

In the specilic embodimentof the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing the numeral 1 designates a harmonica of usual construction from which the protecting sides (not shown) have been removed toadapt it for association with the amplifying and tone controlling device about to be described.

This device comprises a substantially triangularcasing having a top 3 and bottom 4, with converging sides 5 which terminate at one end to provide the circular opening 6.

The top 3 and bottom 4 are extended on the side opposite to the aperture 6 and inwardly bent as at 7 to form lips to engage is supported midway between the Vtop and bottom by means of rivets 9:. traversing the laterally extending ears v10.

elongatedlt'ubular member 11 extends from Vwithin the chamber Q'throughthe aperture (i and.hasitslinner end enlarged-,maat

1j2land apertured Yas at .13 to ,recev' the upper hollow end 14' of the supporting and yolume controlling handle ,1,5 which Lha's bearinginalined apertures 1;'6 inthe'top 3 anatomia-l.

The @ad 14, is vClosed atV la, and is peri tured. at diametrically opposite pointstojp'rovide a passageway 17` throngh whichy yair from the chamber 2 may ,pass into the` tubuthe spacedplates of the harmonica 1 which. n

larmemberfll. Itwillbe observed that the volnme of air Y, passing through the opening 17 and the tube 11 `-may be4 positively controlled by manipulation ,of ,the` handle l15 and Y may beentirely cut off by turning `tli'elim- .dle until r'the passageway V17 is arranged transverselyofj'the tube..`

lA seond tubular member 'lwhh is open at its innerV and outer ends is arranged to telescope within the tube 11 and permits variation of the pitch of the music as the length of the combined tubes 11 and 18 is varied by longitudinal movement of tube 18 with respect to the tube 11. A handle 18a is provided on the tube 18.

In the practice of the invention, the device is held in one hand by means of the handle 15 and the lips of the operator engage the extensions of the top and bottom or in other words the mouth of the operator or player is presented to the harmonica in the ordinary manner.

When the operator blows into the instrument'the air passes through into the amplifying chamber `2 from which its only outlet is through the passageway 17, into the tubes 11 and out through the tube 18, and the volume of the sound may be controlled by slight rotation of the handle 15 which may be conveniently turnedby the hand supporting the instrument. It is obvious that by varying the registration of the passageway 17 with the chamber 2 and the tube 11, that the volume of air that may act on the reeds of the harmonica is varied and in this way the volume of the musical sound produced by the harmonica is controlled and varied. The pitch of the music may be varied at will by moving the tube 18 in and out of the tube 11 in the same manner as the lil pitch of music from a trombone is controlled, that is, by increasing or decreasing the combined length of the tubes 11 and 18.

It. will be noted that the tubes 11 and 18, together constitute an extensible tone column and the handle 15 constitutes a means for controlling communication between the casing and the tone column. The outer end ofthe tube 18 is preferably flared or bellshaped, as shown. Of course the resonance of the reeds is also depended upon to produce the music but the character and quality of the music and especially its pitch is varied by varying the length of the tone column constituted by the tubes 11 and 18.

Having thus fully described the invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: y

1. A device of the class described, comprising a substantially triangular sha ed casing including a top, a bottom, an a pair of side walls, means vfor supporting a harmonica between said top and bottom at one side ofthe casing, a tubular member secured to and extending from the casing yand having .an enlarged portion, a rotatable handle having a hollowy closed end extending' through the top, the bottom, and said enlarged portion, and having a transversev passageway therethrough for alinement with said tubular member, the turning of the handle operating to vary the extent of communication between the casing and the tubular member, and a second tubular member open at both ends and telescopically mounted within said first mentioned tubular member. 1 y

2. A devieeof the class described, comprising a casing including a top wall, a bot tom wall, a pair of converging side walls and an open side, means for supporting a harmonica between said top and bottom walls to close said open side, a tubular member extending from the casing and having an enlarged portion, a handle having a hollow end extending through the top walls and bottom of said casing through the enlarged portion of said tubular member, means whereby passage of sound through said member is controlled by said handle, and

.a second tubular member telescopically mounted Within said first mentioned tubular member.

3. A device of the class described comprising a casing having an open side, means for supporting a harmonica by the casing in closing relation to saidopen side, a tubular member extending from the casing and having an enlarged portion, a handle extending through the casingV and said enlarged portion, means whereby passage of air through said casing is controlled by said handle, and means cooperable with said member to vary the pitch of sound emanatinv from the harmonica.

WI LIAM BENJAMIN YATES. 

